Method of manufacturing substances of high resistance.



A. SGHLOMANN. METHOD OF MAN UFACTURING SUBSTANCES OF HIGH RESISTANCE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1906.

955,360, Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

. (UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

- engineer,

' facturing Substances of High Resistance, of

great resistance,

ALFRED scriLoMANN,

GESELLSGHAFT M. B. H.

or MUNICH, GERMANY, ASSIGNOB. 'rovAKUuM-PEEssGU'r 0E BERLIN,

GERMANY.

,- -METHOD 0E MANUFACTURING SUBSTANCES 0E mGH'EEsIsrANcE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Apr. 19, 1910.

' Application filed August ,4, 1906. Serial No. 329,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED SoHLoMANN, citizen of Germany, residing at 5 Renatastrasse Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria and Empire of Germany, have invented a new and useful Method of Manuwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing substances 'havinga great resistance to physical influences, such as electricity, mechanical actions, humidity, and the like.

The products produced by this method are especially suitable for use as building blocks .or tables and as insulators for electricity or other purposes and they may have any desired shape given thereto during the production.

The principal object of the invention is to unite insulating substances so closely and firmly by treating them in a vacuum while under the action of heat and pressure and to 'make them thereby so non-porous and dry ture from'the air and thereby lose their insulating properties against electricity. For .accomplishing this result, some non-porous substances are applied thereto and they are dried and closely united therewith. In this way, it will-be possible to better utilizethe insulating properties of hydroscopic silicates, such as asbestos, which heretofore could only be used in very small quantities in the form of powder or fiberv as an admixture in the manufacture of artificial insulating materials. Another method of, producing insulating masses according to the present invention consists in closely mixing the insulating substances, such as silicates with some waterproof substance such as resin and i the like, drying the composition in a vacuum and applying high pressure at the same time. In this way insulatin bodies of any desired shape can be obtained which possessvery strength, and great density against percussion, .and which can be easily worked. Meta] parts may be pressed into the mass during the formation thereof which after it has.

very 1 high mechanical.

cooled adhere as firmly to'it as if they were made integral. Further it will be possible to make blocks and the like which consist of alternate layers of difierentmaterial either both insulating or some of them possessing. some other useful properties.

If layers of water-attracting substances with insulating properties are to be inclosed in a waterproof body as for instance in layers of copal, or: the like, this may be done by covering the water-attracting substance with the Waterproof substance and drying the whole under the exclusion of air, by heating it in a vacuum; at the same time pressure is applied to drive out all moisture left therein and to produce a close unity between the inside matter and its covering. Its covering substances solutionsof waterproof materials, such as copal, shellac, wax and the like may be used.

If insulating substances are to be made from material having little or no moisture absorbing properties, or if insulating bodies are to be made from mixtures of insulating substances having water-absorbing properties, like asbestos, with waterproof substances like copal, the rocess will be as follows :'The substance-1s mixed with an agglutinant such as the mixture of asbestos fiber with copal dissolved in alcohol, and after filling a suitable press-mold therewith it is preliminarily pressed under comparatively high pressure. The su'bstance is then putinto a vacuum where it is at the same time heated and pressed by a pressure of an elastic nature; in this way the substance will be perfectly dried, the solvent thoroughly extracted and the .mass pressed firmly together. Care should be taken that the vacuum, heat and pressure be brought intov action at the same time or at least in quick succession, without taking the mate-. rial out of the apparatus used in carrying out the process.

The apparatus preferably used for carrying out this process may be constructed as illustrated in the annexed drawing, and consists of a drying oven' which can be evacuated and has a press applied. Inside of the casing a of thefstove are arranged a row of plates 0 made movable on guiding rods d. The guiding rods (Z have adjustable set-rings c to keep the plates at any conv nient fixed distance from each other. Heating pipes f are placed through theplates, and the flexible tubes 9 at each end of the plates, form the methods may be used for this: As an exconnection for the steam conduit pipes h and h respectively. A vacuum conduit 11 is arranged for exhausting the air from the drying oven. The lower end-plate i which is also adjustable is attached to a piston is,

which may be introduced into the vacuum box. or drying stove by means of a stuffingbox. This lston is is worked by means of the accumulator of a hydraulic press, (not shown in the drawings), a connecting pipe or conduit Z bein arranged through which the pressing medium passes to the piston k. The pistonla is furthermore connected with the valve of the accumulator by'means of a lever system n, which passes through the 1 base m, of the drying stove and is pivoted lator, so that the pressure in the apparatus.

at 0. According to the manner of this conmotion the lifting and lowering of the iston is with theplate i, will thei'efore effect an increasing-or diminishing of the amount of the pressing medium going to the accumuwill automatically increase ordiminish in accordance with the shrinking of the material. If the material while in the drying oven is exposed to a pressure of perhaps 6 atmospheres, exhausting the air at the same time and heating the plates, the substance will be compressed to a certain degree part of the moisture contained in the substance and of the solvent being driven out at the same time. If the heating and pressing continues the last portion of the moisture and solvent will evaporate out of the interior of the mass, which will produce holes in the material and cause it to expand. The pores would naturally diminish the stability and usefulness of the material. To remove same it will of course require a higher pressure than that which was sufficient to first compress the material. This increased pressure will be obtained by the action of the lever system 02, effecting the opening or turning of the accumulator-valve. The pores as already stated effect an expanding of the material, on account of which plate 2' and the piston are pressed downward to effect a further turning of the accumulator valve through the rod 11.. The valve being constructed accordingly, this movement will increase the flow of the pressing medium, whereby a greater pressure will be produced. It will be clear that the pressure will regulate itself according to the shrinking in the material', and the degree of pressure will be in accordance with the arrangement of the accumulator valve and the way in which the lever system is connected with it.

Through the high pressure under which the material is placed certain portions of moisture vaporized in the interior of the mass ample, a vessel may be connected with the hydraulic press into which the pressing fluid (air or the like) may recede partly is reached in the interior of the drying apparatus; so that the pressure in it will be diminished in the required manner. For the same purpose, a regulator maybe provided similar to that effected by means of levers n and 0. In this drying apparatus, for carrying out this process, material of different thickness and size can be treated at the same time on account of the arrangement of a plurality of adjustable plates 0. Such masses inclosed into pressing molds are placed between the different plates 0 in such manner that the pressure put on the piston k and plate 6 will be transmitted by said masses to the plates 0. As an addivided' which would give the finished article a smooth surfaoeand so prevent the substance from sticking to the molds.

The insulating substance as well as any of the waterproof material or agglutinants may be mixed with coloring matter so that the finished goods are produced in any desirableshading, as marble and the like.

If a water-attracting insulatin substance is to be used, as, for instance, silicates, same can also be treated mixed with some other insulating substance as viscose, ace tates'and the like, no matter whether the insulating substance is only-to be covered with a waterproof matter, or whether the insulating substance Vis to be. mixed with same and pressed afterward.

When using copal same can be heated first so as to remove all 'etheral oils from it, and the residue dissolved in spirit be used for the production of the insulating material; or the copal may be dissolved through heat in its ownetheral oils and without using spirit. Copal is given the preference to shellac because the former is lower in price and requires a higher degree of heat for melting.

Having now particularly de cribed and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. A process of manufacturing moisture resisting insulating substances which ,con- "sists in mixing asbestos fibers with a liquefied resin, and drying the mixture by pressing, heating and evacuating it simultaneously.

2. A process of manufacturing moisture resisting insulating substances which consists and drying said mixture by pressing, heating and "evacuating it simultaneously.

'3. A process of'manufacturing moisture resisting insulating substances which con? when suddenly a pressure of fixed degree,

tional arrangement a press could be pro in mixing asbestos fibers with liquefied bopal,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses. V

ALFRED SCHLOMANN. Witnesses WM. M. RINHART, WILHELM W'AGNER. 

